Fumigator.



No. 746,942. PATELTTED. 1350.15; 19.03. L. 11mm PUMI=G..ATO"R.: APPLIUATIUN IILED AUG. 24, 1901.

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Patented December 15, 1903.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEON FEVAL, OF NEW BRUNS ICK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO E. D. TAYLOR COMPANY, OF NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORA- TION OF NEW JERSEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,942, dated December 1903- Applioetion filed August 24, 1.901. Serial No. 73,111. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEON FEVAL, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at New Brunswick, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fumigators, of which the following is a description.

The object I have in view is to produce a device for generating formaldehyde gas from the solid polymers of formaldehyde without the burning of any portion of the gas-generated, which will be simple, cheap, and efficient.

In carrying out my invention I provide as the source of heat for causing the solid to revertto the gaseous form a mass composed of a suitable combustible impregnated with an oxidizing agent, such as a compressed mass of charcoal impregnated with a metallic nitrate, such as potassium nitrate. This heating-body is preferably a cake of disk form which is placed in a suitable box or container which furnishes a draft and conserves the heat generated. Upon the charcoal disk is placed a disk composed of the compressed solid polymers of formaldehyde, preferably coated with paraffin to prevent vaporization prior to use.

The device isstarted into operation by applying a flame to the charcoal, so as to secure ignition at one point, with the result that the charcoal will become progressively incandescent throughout its entire mass and will glow without flame during the period of combustion, thus causing the production of formaldehyde gas without burning any portion of the gas itself. The charcoal and formaldehyde bodies are proportioned with relation to each other and to the conservation of heat by the container, so that the amount of heat produced by the combustion of the charcoal will cause the reversion into formaldehyde gas of the entire body of the solid polymers of formaldehyde.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of the fumigator. Fig. 2 isa vertical section of the same, and Fig. 3 is a top view of the fumigator with the cover removed and with the charcoal and formaldehyde disks also removed.

A is a shell, preferably of cylindrical form,

interior wall of the box.

having its sides creased at a point above the bottom to form a shoulder a. Upon this shoulder within the box is placed a grid 1), which forms a support for the charcoal disk. Below the grid 1) the shell of the box is provided with draft-openings 0, one at least of which is large enough to permit the introduction of a lighted match or taper for igniting the charcoal. Above the grid 19 the box is provided on its interior with vertical ribs (1, which are designed to hold the cakes of charcoal and formaldehyde centrally in the box and to provide a space around the cakes for the rising products of combustion and the formaldehyde gas. These ribs can be conveniently produced by inserting in the boxa sheet'of fluted metal bent to conform to the is provided with a cover e, which may be a closed cover or may have an opening in its center, which opening may or may not be filled with wire-gauze. If the cover is closed, it will be removed when the device is put into use. If the cover has a central opening, it will not be removed and by furnishing a restricted opening for the gases will tend to further conserve the heat.

B is the cake of charcoal, and O is the cake of formaldehyde. These cakes are somewhat smaller in diameter than the diameter of the box A. They are placed one on top of the other with the charcoal cake underneath, resting upon the grid 1) and held centrally in the box by the ribs (1. The two cakes may practically fill the box, or the boxv may be extended more or less above the formaldehyde cake. The cakes of charcoal and formaldehyde being placed in the box and the cover being removed if a solid cover, the charcoal will be lighted from beneath and will become progressively incandescent, but without bursting into flame, and during its combustion will furnish the heat for reverting the solid polymers of formaldehyde contained in the cake 0 into formaldehyde gas.

I have found a suitable mixture for the charcoal to be one hundred parts, by weight, of charcoal, sixteen parts, by weight, of potassium nitrate, and a suflicient quantity of a gum solution, such as a thin solution of The top of the box gum tragacanth, to moisten the mixture. The mixture being made, a proper quantity is compressed into the desired form and the cake is dried. The formaldehyde cake is made by compressing the solid polymers of formaldehyde into ahard cake and then dipping in paraffin. I have found that with the box or container a charcoal cake having a weight of one-half ounce will furnish sufficient heat to vaporize a formaldehyde cake weighing one ounce and that the same proportions between the weight of the charcoal and formaldehyde cakes hold good for other sizes.

What I claim is- 1. A fumigator having a combustible body adapted to burn without fiamingand a body of the solid polymers of formaldehyde located so as to receive heat from the combustible body, in combination with a containerinclosing such bodies and supporting them above the lower end of the container, said container having air-inlet openings below the combustible body and draft passages upwardly through it in proximity to said formaldehyde body, substantially as set forth.

2. A fumigator having a combustible body adapted to burn without flaming and a body of the solid polymers of formaldehyde located so as to receive heat from the combustible body, in combination with a container inclosing said bodies and supporting them above the lower end of the container, said container having air-inlet openings below the combustible body, draft-passages upwardly through it in proximity to said formaldehyde body and a restricted exit for the products of combustion and the formaldehyde gas above said formaldehyde body,substantially as set forth.

3. A fumigator having a combustible body adapted to burn without flaming and a body of the solid polymers of formaldehyde located so as to receive heat from the combustible body, in combination with a container inclosing said bodies and supporting them above the lower end of the container, said container having air-inlet openings below the combustible body, draft-passages upwardly through it in proximity to said formaldehyde body and a gauze-covered exit at its top, substantially as set forth.

4:. 'In a f umigator, the combination with the container having support I) and draft-openings c, and provided above said support with the ribs d, of the charcoal and formaldehyde cake B, O placed one on top of the other and carried by the support I), such cakes being centered in the container by the ribs d, substantially as set forth.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a formaldehyde-fumigator comprising a tablet of the solid polymersof formaldehyde and a tablet of carbon, such tablets being placed in contact one on top of the other, the base of the upper tablet having substantially the same surface area as the upper surface of the lower tablet, substantially as set forth.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a formaldehyde-fumigator comprising a tablet of the solid polymers of formaldehyde and a tablet of carbon placed in contact one on top of the other, the base of the upper tablet having substantially the same surface area as the upper surface of the lower tablet, combined with a support of non-inflammable material for supporting said tablets, substantially as set forth.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a formaldehyde-fumigator comprising a tablet of the solid polymers of formaldehyde and a tablet of carbon placed in contact one on top of the other, the base of the upper tablet having substantially the same surface area as the upper surface of the lower tablet, combined with a container of non-inflammable material which incloses and supports said tablets and conserves the heat produced by the combustion of the carbon tablet, said container having exit-openings for the products of combustion and the formaldehyde gas,substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 7th day of February, 1901.

LEON FEVAL.

Witnessesz JNo. R. TAYLOR, AROHIBALD G. REESE. 

